RobWheatley Posted September 29, 2007 Posted September 29, 2007 Hi All Right Im now fed up with being overtaken by lorries on the way to work (A2 in kent) on my XV125, its just too slow going up hills, so I have booked my DAS for the 26th October. Im looking at getting a bigger bike for the commute to work (and have a bit of fun on) I need something with a fairing on it as it will be used all through the winter, it needs to be comfy for a pillion (if i can persuade the missis to get on it) not too new as the budget wont stretch and not a sports bike so a bit of an all rounder, was thinking of an XJ600N as i prefere it to the diversion's, just got a few questions if anyone can help. Do the XJ600N's suffer from any common faults (bloke at the local bike shop said the swing arm bearings go on a regular basis) What are the engines like for reliability. Do they have good alternators on them (would be looking at fitting some extra lights, heated grips etc) What sort of mpg should i be able to get and whats the range of the tank? Is there anything to look out for when buying one (seen a few on fleabay) What are the chain & sprockets like for wear/lifespan, i will be putting a scott oiler on it (seem to be always adjusting and lubeing mine) Thanks in advance for any replies, just got to pass the test now!!! Rob
atlantasmittie84 Posted September 29, 2007 Posted September 29, 2007 1. Do the XJ600N's suffer from any common faults (bloke at the local bike shop said the swing arm bearings go on a regular basis) 2. What are the engines like for reliability. 3 Do they have good alternators on them (would be looking at fitting some extra lights, heated grips etc) 4. What sort of mpg should i be able to get and whats the range of the tank? 5. Is there anything to look out for when buying one (seen a few on fleabay) 6. What are the chain & sprockets like for wear/lifespan, i will be putting a scott oiler on it (seem to be always adjusting and lubeing mine) Thanks in advance for any replies, just got to pass the test now!!! Rob I have a 1994 XJ600 "SecaII". Which from what I read is just an American version of the other XJ600s. Except mine has ferrings on it. But engine, drivetrain, wheels, etc are pretty much the same. I have 20,000 miles on mine and I don't really take great care of the bike. 1. I heard the rear bearings go out fairly often but not too bad. Mine are still good and I'm sure the previous owner never took care of it. 2. The motor is strong in mine and runs great. Valves could probably use a little adjusting but then again I don't think it does. 3. I completely killed my battery a couple of times and had to push it off. After about 10-15minutes of riding I stalled my bike at a light and crunk it back up using the ignition. Not sure if that helps. 4. One 200mile trip from south Georgia and up I averaged 60mpg. Overall I say I get 35-45mpg and that includes hard riding 5. I guess make sure it hasn't been wrecked bad. It's going to be hard to find a bike that old that hasn't atleast been dropped or slid down the road. But make sure everything else is good. 6. I haven't changed the sprockets or chains and I'm sure the previous owner hasn't. I do wheelies on it and when I ride I go wide open throttle just about everywhere. Right now my clutch is terrible. Well I have a new clutch and it is installed but have yet to pick up my bike. But the bike is powerful and cruises easy at 80mph/128kph. And I've gotten it to 125mph fairly easy even with the bad clutch. Top speed is suppose to be around 140mph. But overall the bike is awesome. And even with my large size (6' 220lbs) i'm comfortable on the bike... http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1436/854790...5c91e9d.jpg?v=0 And here are a couple of videos of my bike... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl1d8hH5gYA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1VCVN4UZ30
keith p Posted November 26, 2007 Posted November 26, 2007 Hi All Right Im now fed up with being overtaken by lorries on the way to work (A2 in kent) on my XV125, its just too slow going up hills, so I have booked my DAS for the 26th October. Im looking at getting a bigger bike for the commute to work (and have a bit of fun on) I need something with a fairing on it as it will be used all through the winter, it needs to be comfy for a pillion (if i can persuade the missis to get on it) not too new as the budget wont stretch and not a sports bike so a bit of an all rounder, was thinking of an XJ600N as i prefere it to the diversion's, just got a few questions if anyone can help. Do the XJ600N's suffer from any common faults (bloke at the local bike shop said the swing arm bearings go on a regular basis) What are the engines like for reliability. Do they have good alternators on them (would be looking at fitting some extra lights, heated grips etc) What sort of mpg should i be able to get and whats the range of the tank? Is there anything to look out for when buying one (seen a few on fleabay) What are the chain & sprockets like for wear/lifespan, i will be putting a scott oiler on it (seem to be always adjusting and lubeing mine) Thanks in advance for any replies, just got to pass the test now!!! Rob
keith p Posted November 26, 2007 Posted November 26, 2007 i have just got a 600n £1200 10k ex condition 98 reg, i`m using it for commuting getting 51 mpg at 65-75 mph with a bit of heavy traffic thrown in. the alternator puts out 20 amps, riding with the headlamp and heated grips on seems to use most of that, after a few days the battery gets a bit flat and only just starts it. if i switch the grips off on the last mile and leave it to idle with the lights off as i unlock the garage take my lid off etc seems to help matters. performance is excellent compared to cars nothing beats you away from the lights and up to 80 after that its slow, compared to modern bikes its a bit of a slug but is an ideal stater bike, i was expecting more mpg and will probably give it a service/ tune in the xmas holidays to seeif this improves it. keith
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